Powerful Iranian cleric killed in attack at bank

TEHRAN: A powerful Iranian cleric, a member of the Assembly of Experts that selects the country´s supreme leader, has been killed in an armed attack, officials said on Wednesday.

The attack is believed to be the most significant in years against a cleric in Iran. “Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani was killed this morning in an armed attack... the assailant was also arrested and is now being investigated,” IRNA news agency reported, citing a security official for the northern province of Mazandaran where the killing occurred. The attack took place inside a bank in Babolsar city, the official said. “The motive of the assailant is not yet clear and will be announced after it is clarified,” the official added.